


Where I Belong

by KoalaBoi, ParkChimChimFam



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-24 12:13:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16639868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoalaBoi/pseuds/KoalaBoi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParkChimChimFam/pseuds/ParkChimChimFam
Summary: Minhyuk and Jooheon are from two different worlds.Minhyuk knows exactly where Jooheon belongs and it's not with people like him.When the two worlds collide, chaos ensues.





	1. Minhyuk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh out first chapter is finally up!!  
> we have worked hard to plan this au and we are both so excited to let you all read it!  
> we promise we are continuing to work hard to deliver the best story we can :))
> 
> please leave a comment with any feedback you have, we will take all advice on board!
> 
> Myself and KoalaBoi are going to recommend a song for you to listen to as you read each chapter.
> 
> SONG 1: BTS RM/SUGA/JHOPE- DDAENG

After pulling into his usual parking spot, Minhyuk shut off the engine and sat back. He closes his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. When he opened them, all eyes were on his black Aston Martin db11. Minhyuk wondered why they still bothered to look. It wasn't as if they had never seen it before. 'Jealousy', he thought to himself and released a small scoff under his breath. He would be jealous of him too, if he were them. He sometimes wondered how they would react if they knew what the cost of owning such a car was and by cost he didn't mean the price tag. But as if he would ever admit to that: for his business was far beyond their leagues.

'Ready?' Hyungwon piped up from beside him.  
Minhyuk give one small nod and the two of them gathered their belonging.

Minhyuk opened his door slowly, basking in the attention from the onlookers. He exited the car head first, revealing his tuff of thick, well-groomed black hair first. Minhyuk was pale in complexion, his dark hair contrasting against this. The hair fell haphazardly into his angular eyes which were brimmed by thick, dark lashes. Someone once told him he looked eerie and that he should smile more to 'lighten his appearance'. 'Do I look like I give a fuck?' he has said to her.  
Minhyuk was dressed expensively from head to toe, as he did everyday attending university. He was a man of style and reputation so of course he would dress as such. He wouldn't dare been seen wearing something with the designer's name labelled in bold across his chest. However anyone who knew fashion would notice his primarily Saint Laurent outfit and the expense behind it. This included his chesterfield winter coat, freshly dry cleaned and dropped off by his personal assistant. A black turtleneck , skinny suit trousers which grazed his ankles and his army 25 derbies, polished to perfection. He even accessorized well with 2 silver hoop earnings sided by 2 black studded ones. He also wore a plain silver band on his left ring fingers which his mother had given him.

Hyungwon followed closely behind Minhyuk. They were close childhood friends. Their mum's had been close and introduced them as toddlers. They had been with one another through everything and so Hyungwon understood Minhyuk the most.  
Hyungwon, unlike Minhyuk, was relaxed. He gave little value to social status or wealth and so was well liked within the university. Where Minhyuk was known for his gorgeously expensive attire, breathtaking features and sharp tongue, Hyungwon was known for the opposite. His friend was tall and beautiful with bold but soft features and a slim build. He often worked as a model for big labels. He was gentle and sociable, capable of making friends with just about anyone. Minhyuk knew many people thought of Hyungwon as the 'tall rich pretty boy who is friends with Minhyuk' and he hated that. Hyungwon was his own person. But he also knew a lot of people couldn't understand why they were friends. This was the sort of judgement that Minhyuk could not stand, he had been experiencing it since childhood. Although he was glad people realized how great Hyungwon was, no one had ever tried to understand him. He was never really sure why people had such an aversion to him but he had grown tired of it and by age 13 he had decided to live up to this judgement. 

With a loud harsh slam, both doors of the vehicle had been closed and locked behind them.  
"You're late for class again, Minhyuk." Hyungwon said in his sing song tone, this revealed his amusement towards his friend. Minhyuk didn't care if those around them heard this statement for everyone knew that Minhyuk was never punctual, especially for his classes.  
"I’m not late for class...Class just started before me..." Minhyuk smirked and fixed his backpack as he pushed his away from his car and headed towards his building. Minhyuk studied law of all things. He had never actually wanted to study law in the first place, but he had been given two choices. One option was to study hard, get a law degree (which he did not want) and uphold the family name. His dad thought this would be the best way for him to learn discipline. Ironic, he thought, considering his father hadn't become the successful business man he is today abiding by the law. The second option? Have his father cut him off and ship him off to America to study instead. A choice between study with money and friends or to still study but poor and alone. So, at this moment in time, studying to be a lawyer sounded great.

Hyungwon stopped for a second to think of what Minhyuk had just said. "Hey..." Minhyuk turned around to listen to his friend and began walking backwards instead. "isn't that the same thing?" Hyungwon asked quickly before throwing a bottle of water Minhyuk’s way. Minhyuk smiled and cocked his head to the side, shrugging his shoulders at the same time.  
"We're meeting Kihyun and his new girlfriend for lunch...don't forget and don't avoid it this time." Hyungwon added, before waving slightly. He had starting turning the opposite direction but hesitated.  
"Where is the best place to find a piece of meat with muscles and enough brain to help me pass my assessment?" Hyungwon asked rubbing his chin.  
"I can't guarantee they have any brains but have you considered the gym?" Minhyuk lifted one eyebrow.  
"Here I was thinking gym rats hung out in math class."

Minhyuk rolled his eyes as Hyungwon’s comments then flailed a hand in the air dismissively as his friend turned to walk away.  
The overall idea of having no choice but to meet Kihyun’s new girlfriend bothered Minhyuk. Since when was getting into a relationship a formal event? He didn't understand his friends and their obsessions with relationships. Why would you want to waste your time and money on someone? And just one person for that matter. When it came to such things Minhyuk preferred quantity over quality. It was true that he had had more than his fair share when it came to sex. He dabbled with boys and girls alike. He was never short on offers but he never chose the desperate ones. He liked those who could hold his graze from the other side of the room, a slight cock of his head and they would meet him in a side room.  
'Yeah, yeah. Lunch date." he mumbled under his breath and pushed through the doors into the law building.

Minhyuk's class was an honors class, none of the scholarship students were offered this class and it was only available to those with status. Another place he hadn't wanted to be.  
Sure he was rich, everyone knew that. But Minhyuk did not like to pay his way in life. Despite what everyone thought of him, he was smart and he had passed his entrance exams with flying colours. However this, of course wasn't good enough for his father who had payed for Minhyuk's course to be upgraded. Nothing he done would be good enough for his dad.  
He knew his class had already begun and he really did not care. He swung the door open and strode to his chair with confidence. He wasn't going to pretend like he wanted to be here and that it mattered to him. His classmates eyes followed him all the way to his chair, some fluttering between him and his lecturer. This was a regular occurrence so he knew she wouldn't comment but it seems his classmates hadn't stopped hoping.  
Upon sitting, he noticed the ink cartridge of his fountain pen has spilled onto his coat. Thankfully it wasn't enough to be noticed. The zip on his bag had also decided to jam. His struggle to open it cause further disruption to the class. "For fuck's sake", he thought to himself.  
For the next while he sat quietly listening to the exhausting monotone voice of the tutor in front of him, rarely paying attention to anything she had to say. He had already read over this entire sector of the course work several times. Another clause in his dads agreement was that he had to pass law and pass it well if he didn't want his cards cut. So he studied most nights.  
Every now and then he scribbled down the a few notes just to make it look like he was listening but a persistent bickering in his right ear kept stealing his attention.

Two scruffier looking boys in his class had been challenging each other’s wealth.  
'I've got Gucci sneakers."..."well i've got Balenciagas."..."I'm going to my family villa in Busan for summer."... 'Well I'm going to France this summer."  
Other than the fact their clothes were tailored by well known designers, you wouldn’t think from their stance or attitude that they were from wealth at all.  
Of course, such trivial topics made Minhyuk laugh since after all...everybody knew he was one of the wealthiest in the school, never mind class. Was there really a point in the argument?  
If you couldn't tell from Minhyuk's appearance, you could certainly tell from his name. His dad owned the largest chain of hotels, department stores and restaurants in South Korea. His family and business life was regularly posted in the local news. He was respected among the upper class and he often saw the jaws of the lower class drop whenever they saw him. But unless you were on his level, Minhyuk wouldn't dare hear you mutter his name without being penalized for tainting it.  
He glared at the bickering boys from under his lashes and they begun to quieten down as soon as they had caught sight of him. To others his attention was always bad attention, no one had wanted his attention for years but these days it was though fear.  
Minhyuk let out an overly dramatic yawn to signal that the bickering boys had bored him now. But he had also grown bored of this class and wanted to let the teacher know. He really didn’t want to be here nor did he care for what she had to say. He succeeded because his yawn was met by a scoff from his tutor, who was now staring straight at him with her small, crow like eyes framed by ugly, block glasses.

"Mister Lee...if my lesson is boring you are more than welcome to stand outside." She retaliated quickly with a sharp tongue.

"Making me stand outside isn't what my dad pays you to do...is it?" he replied coolly as he leaned back on his chair a little and folded his arms. Minhyuk was never the one to give respect where he believed it wasn't due and now was one of those times. He had learned from his dad that this lecturer had left her husband and kids for a younger man and therefore she was certainly NOT someone who deserve respect.

"Collect your things and stand outside of the room. I won't tolerate this in my class...and your father pays me nothing so you can jump off your high horse."  
Minhyuk laughed out loud at her stupidity, knowing full well her new boyfriend worked for his dad and by default his dad paid their bills. But he wasn't supposed to know this, so he had to bite his tongue.

Minhyuk stood slowly from his chair, catching a number of shocked expressions from other members of his class. Did they really believe he would do what the tutor was telling him for the first time since he had joined this course?  
"Don't forget who's boss my father is, Miss Nam. You wouldn't want your boy toy made homeless now, would you?"  
Minhyuk widened his eyes at her in question. He was supposed to bite his tongue, but that didn't mean he would.  
He had no manners, no mental filter and certainly no tolerance for scum.  
No, he didn't like those born without a silver spoon in their mouth but this woman seems to have been raised with no manners at all.

"MISTER LEE!" she screamed. Minhyuk could almost see the vessels in her neck pop. "Collect your things and go to your head of district's office NOW!" The tutor practically barked at him, making him flinch in the slightest. He was nothing more than surprised at the audacity.  
With a loud clash, Minhyuk pushed away from his desk, allowing his chair to tumble to the group.  
He slowly walked towards the front of the class, never breaking eye contact with Ms Nam.  
He came to a stop directly in front of her.  
'Gamsahabnida' he said sarcastically with a smile plastered on his lips, gave a brief bow and left.

The path to the district head’s office was one he had walked far too many times now. He had been continuously sent here throughout the years: attitude issues, failing to comply, defacing school property etc, ec, etc... he was bored of it. The office was starting to feel like a second home, if your second home felt like a garden shed. You would assumed, wokring for such a prestigious school, the head would make some effort with his office but no. It smelled like old lady perfume. It actually even looked a little like an old lady to Minhyuk. Wrinkles in the carpet, wrinkles in the curtains, wrinkles in the sofa, wrinkles in the cushions on the sofa.  
"Ugh." he said, shivering at the thought.  
He chewed at his thumb nail as he waited. He knew if the district head called his father once more, he’d be in a world of trouble.  
A trophy father needed his trophy son. He had to look the best, be the best and do the best.  
He knew very well that his father pushed him this way only to benefit himself. God forbid anyone find a flaw in his made up perfect life. God forbid anyone realize he was an ass hole.  
Regardless, Minhyuk tried his best to keep his dad happy because he knew all too well the consequences of making him unhappy.  
He knew that getting a mark against his name would certainly make his dad unhappy so he hoped for the best. He just wanted an easy life until he could support himself or the old man died... either would suffice. 

Usually he would get an ear full, a warning and then he was let out early. But not this time, he had gotten one too many strikes, well 12 if he was being specific, and the head seemed to be on his man period today so it wasn't looking good.  
"Hurry up and call my dad if you need to...I have lunch plans this afternoon." Minhyuk said as he played on his phone.  
'I fucking hope he doesn't.' he thought internally, not showing his panic. 

"Do you think calling your father will suffice?" Minhyuk released a sigh of relief. "Restricting your trips? Keeping you in during your lunch hour to clean up...none of that seems to be working. You find a way around it every time..." His senior said, with disappointment plastered across his face.  
He wouldn't admit to his face but Minhyuk liked Mr Choi. He was the one who had accepted Minhyuk to the school, he knew Minhyuk deserve to be here on an academic level and reminded him of this regularly. He also knew his father, and by knew... he KNEW him. Sometimes Minhyuk thought Mr Choi wouldn't ever phone his dad, for he also feared what he was capable of. 

"Well, what else would you suggest Sir?" Minhyuk asked, curiosity seeping through but not enough for him to life his gaze.  
He heard a small chuckle before Mr Choi spoke next.  
"I've made arrangements for you to volunteer with the arts department every morning, lunch and evening to assist in the preparations for this year Star and Moon awards."  
Minhyuk now looked up from his phone, which until this moment had his full attention.  
"I'm sorry... what?"  
"Starting today, they'll be expecting you." Mr Choi smiled. The bastard actually smiled.  
"Did you mishear when I said I had lunch plans?"  
"Did you mishear when i said starting today? If you fail to attend, I will have no choice but to fail your course."  
Minhyuk stood from his chair. The last thing he wanted to do was be seen with the arts department. Minhyuk attended to Star and Moon awards.. he didn't set up for them. Why was Mr Choi trying to categorize him with such low lives...ew.  
"Come on Sir. You can't do this. The arts department? Really? This doesn-"  
"Main Hall, Minhyuk. Go."  
Mr Choi had already turned back to the papers on his desk and was scribbling away but he managed to point in the direction of his door.  
Minhyuk knew this conversations was over.  
"UGH" he grumbled before turning on his feet, dragging his bag along the floor behind him. 

"Alright! alright...no need to fail my units...I’ll go. " he grumbled out in a half-defeated tone.


	2. Hyungwon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SONG 2: SOMDEFF FT LOCO & BRAVO- ONE PLUS ONE

Hyungwon turned away from the steps at the law facility and began to make his way towards the sports department. He was on the hunt for a pretty beef cake who was not only pleasant on the eye but could string two sentences together without difficulty. He had an idea of who he wanted to help with this project but he wasn't sure how to approach the boy. They were so different after all and Hyungwon wasn't certain this guy even wanted to know him.

Although he was a medical student, Hyungwon had to cover a variety of different fields... which included the not so favored sports medicine. It wasn’t that he hated the class, he loved learning. What he hated was being put in a class full of people he neither knew or spoke to and who weren't the slightest bit interested in doing either of those things. It wasn't that Hyungwon was unsociable, it was just that he obviously didn't belong here.  
So far he had spent the past month sitting alone at the side of the class, writing down every little detail. From how to treat a sprained ankle to stabilizing a dislocated shoulder, Hyungwon knew it all. He was sure he had been the only one taking notes on this but he was also sure it would have been more awkward to do nothing, alone. He was always the type of person to pay either too much attention to the simplest things, or no attention at all. This was definitely an incidence of too much attention.

Hyungwon often thought that his attention to detail was probably what made him such a good friend. He always remembered the little things about people, how they liked to be treated, what food they disliked, if they were an early riser or a late sleeper. Hyungwon remembered it all and he was very adaptable, changing himself to accommodate those around him. Minhyuk once told him he was like a tree frog.  
"What? It's a compliment." he had retorted back at Hyungwon's unimpressed expression.  
"I cant help that I was born with these lips." he had said, pointing at them and widening his eyes.  
"Who said anything about lips?" his friend, chuckled. "But hey if they shoe fits, feel free to wear it."  
Hyungwon knew too well that his friend was poking fun at his thick lips, otherwise he would have chosen a more fitting animal.. like a chameleon.  
'Hell yeah, I'm a Chameleon.' he thought to himself, recalling the memory.

As he was walking, he adjusted the strap of his bag that hung over his shoulder before pushing through his satchel in search of the books he would require for his next class. He pulled them out and began flicking through his notes, stressing over the fact one of his books had been completely ruined. On their way to university that morning, Minhyuk had decided to try something knew and so they stopped for coffee at a Starbucks drive through. However, being the man of taste that he is, he had become "disgusted" at their use of regular coffee beans. Seriously, what did he expect? Premium, hand picked beans sent freshly from Columbia that morning?  
Coffee cup in hand, he began to rant. Hyungwon watched as the cup got swayed this way and that as Minhyuk's rant became more and more heated: wisps of coffee spilling over the edges. With a sharp flick of his wrist, Minhyuk's let the cup slip from his grasp and Hyungwon could do nothing but watch as it flew in his direction.  
It landed right in his lap which thankfully had been covered by layers of paper. However it was unfortunate that those papers had been the noted for his class.

A full months work lost in a second.” he muttered to himself, shaking his head.  
As he was passing by the basketball court, he decided to slow and watch the boys practice.  
He recognized one or two of them from his class, but he hadn't dare speak to them. Although he got along well with everybody that he initiated conversation with, the basketball team was one set of people he didn’t meddle with.  
They were known to behave like typical jocks. Being cruel and manipulative towards those not capable of defending themselves. On the odd occasion their violence would leave the court. They could be serious bullies if they wanted to, and Hyungwon was a rich kid in foreign territory.  
Although he didn't want to believe all of the gossip, he also didn't want to risk becoming a target.  
Watching them now, laughing and fooling around, you would never guess the stories surrounding them. Thinking about it, they really reminded him of Minhyuk.  
How the front they put up to everyone else was different to the one they showed to those close to them.

His smile faltered ever so slightly as he thought of how happy and childish minhyuk used to be. He use to live his life as though he was the freest person, nothing held him down. They used to leave through the back door to mess around in the fields and forest at the end of Minhyuk's family land. Hyungwon could recall memories of  
his friend running through the long grass with arms open wide. He would laugh, twirl, fall and look up to the sky, taking everything in with a smile on his face. They would do this until the sun went down and even then, the nanny had to come and collect them.

One night, they had climbed the tallest tree and were resting on one of its branches. They could hear Minhyuk's nanny calling but they chose to ignore her, with plans to sleep in the tree.  
Minhyuk was quieter that night, staring up at the night sky.  
"It's a big world, Hyungwon ah. I'm going to see it all." he had said.  
The moment was interrupted by the nanny clattering a ladder against the tree below them but Hyungwon had never forgotten it.  
They were just as inseparable back then as they were now, just things had changed. Minhyuk had changed ever since…. Hyungwon shuddered and tried to push the memories into the back of his head. "No use dwelling on the past." he thought to himself, and plastered a smile back onto his face.

It was then that something, or someone, on the basketball court caught Hyungwon's attention. His dull thoughts were instantly replaced by the sight of three muscular men ruing around on the basketball court, acting like overgrown children.  
He leaned back against the fence behind him and admired them. He fingered through the coffee stained notebook in his hands so that he didn't look too obvious but his gaze kept being drawn to one boy in particular.  
It was the boy from his sports medicine class. The one he wanted to ask for help from but was too shy.  
The boy was slightly shorter than him and very muscular in stature. Hyungwon was actually surprised to see him with the basketball team for he gave off a very different vibe. He was blonde with smooth pale skin and the cutest bunny smile Hyungwon had ever seen. Despite being built like the side of a house, the boy gave off a childish impression. There was innocence in his big brown eyes.

He continued to admire the male from afar whilst still propped up against the fence, zoning out a little as he started to think about how to ask him to help with his assessment. Hyungwon hated to admit it but he knew he was starting to like him a little, his eyes always wondered to the boy in class.

He had always hated catching feelings, for three reasons only…one, he always caught them HARD. He often felt like those silly teenage girl that swoon over Minhyuk, they always flocked around him but every single one of them walked away with teary eyes.  
Which brings reason two: Hyungwon always got hurt. Maybe be was a little too nice because he always seemed to end up in the friend zone or worse... the boys fell for Minhyuk instead. He hated his friend for being so alluring, but he could never complain because Minhyuk was always respectful of his feelings and would let them know he had no interest.  
And for the third reason, Hyungwon had a bad habit of chasing after straight boys. Each and every boy had directly shut down any friendship they had after a foolishly drunk confession from him. And by God had Hyungwon made A LOT of drunk confessions.

So looking over at the blonde male, he got chills thinking of how he was going to ask his help, knowing full well he would fuck it up somewhere. The strange thing was, Hyungwon was a talker and everybody knew that once he had started he couldn’t easily be stopped. But not many people knew that he was anxious. He always had to plan a conversation ahead in his mind before starting it, particularly around another man. His friend changkyun liked to call it gay panic, but he just put it down to nervousness.

Hyungwon realized he had completely spaced out and had been staring blankly at nothing for the past few minutes, so he shook his head lightly. He rubbed his face and looked across the basketball court for the attractive blonde male he had his eye on. Noticing he was no longer there, Hyungwon let out a slow, defeated sigh. When was he going to get the chance to ask for his help? How was he going to ask even if that chance presented itself? Hyungwon had no idea. So, He grabbed his books tightly and turned to set off for class. However he didn't get very far.

As he rounded the corned away from the court, he slammed straight into something solid and unable to help himself, fell to the ground with a thud. Hyungwon heard laughter, obviously belonging to the basketball team behind him and he felt warmth rush into his cheeks. "Way to stay under the radar, genius." he said aloud to himself and covered his face with his hands. Embarrassed was not the word to cover it. He couldn't even make his legs function long enough to stand himself up. He took a deep breath from behind his hands, trying to gather himself but before he could pull his hands away... someone else did.

He felt the soft hands take hold of his wrists and gently remove his own from his face. When he opened he looked up, he was peering into the big, brown eyes of the boy crouched in front of him. Hyungwon did not fail to notice that the boy kept hold of his wrists.

“Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you.” The blonde male said with concern in his voice and lifted one hand to touch either side of Hyungwon's face. “I didn’t hurt you bad did I?” he asked still examining Hyungwon's face.

Hyungwon looked at him blankly and blinked, unsure if this was real. This was _the_  not only talking to Hyungwon but touching him too. This must have been his lucky day.  Looking at him up close, Hyungwon couldn't help but credit himself for his good taste. He noticed that the boys pale skin really was flawless, he wondered what skin care he used. "I'll have to ask him later." he thought. He also noted that his ears stuck out a little and that were decorated with multiple silver hoops. Damn, he was cute AND stylish. 

Hyungwon let out a small chuckle and waved his hand dismissively. “No no…I’m alright, I’m the one that hit into you, I should be asking you..." Hyungwon took this opportunity to place his hand on the boys chest which, unsurprisingly, really was solid. " Are you okay?" he asked and cocked his brow.

"Yeah, I'm good. I can take it." The boy laughed and Hyungwon was certain that his heart melted right then. He let out a small laugh along with the boy and then made eye contact, "I'm sure you can." he replied while patting his chest twice. 

Hyngwon removed his hand and began gathering his things, getting a tightened grip on the crumpled, coffee stained booklet. God forbid anything else happen to that one. The boy helped Hyungwon collect his books but looked at his coffee book in question as he handed the rest over. Hyungwon just smiled and shurgged his shoulders.  
“I saw you watching from the side earlier." Hyungwon's heart fluttered in a kdrama 'oppa noticed me' style. "You’re in my sports medicine class, aren’t you? From the medicine faculty right?” He asked quickly and Hyungwon nodded a "mmm" in response.

“Ah, well I’m on my way to class now If you want to walk with me?” he offered to Hyungwon with raised eyebrows and a small gesture in the direction of class. The boy stepped away slightly and ruffled his hair which was still wet with sweat from running around in the hot sun.  
“I…..” Hyungwon looked him up and down subtly and gulped a little in response before tilting his head.

Hyungwon's inner thoughts began to bicker...'if this is how he acts, you'll end up whipped'...'I honestly do not care.'...'He will hurt you.'...'I'd thank him for it.'.. Above all though, Hyungwon knew he had to find a partner from the sports department to help with this assessment. He would also have to find someone who could help him replace the damaged notes in his coffee stained book. The planets had aligned today and made the boy of his dreams available. He decided to assigned himself a private, side mission of figuring out this mystery man’s sexuality. “Sure…yeah. If you don't mind. I still end up walking into the wrong classes sometimes.” he chuckled. He was unsure whether he should go for a polite or casual introduction but his mouth was already moving. Oh, I'm..."  
“Hyungwon…yeah I know." He knew him?  "I’m Wonho.” He said cutting Hyungwon off and smiling at the boys confused expression.

“How…do you know my name already?” he asked and he gripped his book tight, his knuckles turning white from the strain of grip. Hearing his name on this boys lips made his heart do stupid things to him but it also made him anxious. A little part of him worried that Wonho had heard of him because of Minhyuk. Hyungwon knew what the people in school thought of Minhyuk and by default, what they thought of him. Although Minhyuk was his friend and Hyungwon would stand by him regardless of what people said, he really didn't want to be know as _that guy._   Hyungwon cleared his mind quickly and thought maybe his coat label was hanging out and Wonho had seen his name there. Not many people actually knew his name. Beside his friends, he was always the unnamed one, he felt like the university equivalent of the third man on the moon... you know? the one that had to stay in the rocket.

"You have it written on your book…” Wonho stated nonchalantly and tapped the book Hyungwon was holding. Hyungwon must have noticeably relax because Wonho gave a hearty laugh and said "I'm not a stalker." 

"Haha, not a stalker. Got it." Hyungwon played along as if this had been his concern the entire time.

"You're notes look a little trashed.. what happened?" Wonho pressed his hand into the crinkled paper. “Did you lose all your work?” There was genuine concern in his voice and a similar look reflected in his eyes.  
“Not all of them…” Hyungwon flicked through his book looking for some undamaged pages and smiled as he found some. “See? I have the basic of dressings still intact…”  
“You actually took notes on that?" Wonho scoffed. "I just sat drawing a face on my basketball the entire time.”

"I thought if i took notes I wouldn't stand out so much."

Wonho looked Hyungwon up and down before giving a little chuckle. 'Way to make me feel like i fit in ass hole' Hyungwon thought but he was outwardly embarrassed. He really did try not to stand out.  Wonho however, did not seem bothered and turned to walk towards in the direction of class. Since standing around wasn't going to get them anywhere and Hyungwon apparently couldn't hold a grudge against this boy, he followed behind.

“How about we grab lunch together today? I can give you some help on the notes you took, and you can give me some notes on the things I didn’t pay attention to.” He said with a friendly tone. Hyungwon was shocked by how bold this boy was but of course he couldn't say no to such a pretty face.  
“Lunch? Today?” He remembered he had to meet Kihyun and his new girlfriend for lunch and grumbled a little to himself.

“I…” he weighed up the chances of getting this opportunity again vs the chances of Kihyun rescheduling the plans... easy choice. . “Yeah, Lunch sounds great…” he smiled and kept walking, not even realizing the book he had been holding was staining the front of his white shirt with dark brown coffee.

“So... you’re on the basketball team?” Hyungwon asked making obvious small talk now. He had always been awkward around men, especially attractive men, but for some weird reason his tongue was totally tied with this one.  
“Yeah, well kind of I guess. I’m only as a fill in incase somebody breaks an ankle or quits last minute. I really just practice or study.”  
“Which you’re not doing much of I presume?” Hyungwon asked and Wonho looked over at him before nodding and smiling  
“Uhh..yeah, I don’t know what it is. I've kinda lost my motivation for school. I get bored easily unless I'm working out.” He admitted and fiddled with the ties of his dark grey sweatpants that he had worn for practice.  
“Maybe you just need the right motivation, something or somebody to push you in the right direction…?” Hyungwon couldn’t understand somebody that didn’t enjoy studying. He personally gained a lot of satisfaction from knowledge and learning. Perhaps he was just raised differently, he thought to himself as he continued to walk beside him.  
“Would you be my motivation then?” Wonho asked simply and Hyungwon looked over at him with raised eyebrows, showing his surprise. He slowly pointed to himself.

“Me? Motivate somebody? I can’t even motivate myself to get out of bed let alone motivate somebody else to study a semesters worth of work.” He chuckled softly and nudged his arm a little.  
“I could help you with you're assessment if you’d like? And you seem to know what you're doing when it comes to studying so you could help me understand the course work to return the favor? We could help each other, you know? Otherwise I don't think I'll be doing this course much longer because I really have no idea what's going on. I don't even know how to tell if a leg is fractured... when I hurt mine on the court, I just stick it out and hope it isn't broken.” Wonho babbled on, obviously trying to cover his and then fell silent again. Hyungwon noticed redness creep onto the boys ears and knew he hated admitting he needed help. He had seen the boy visibly stress in class, tugging at this hair when he failed to understand something. Hyungwon couldn't deny tha he needed Wonho's help either because he had scored some of his lowest test scores in his sports medicine class. He was losing sleep over it.

"Ok, I'll help you but you have to promise to help me. At least one of us will know what to do with a fracture.” Hyungwon replied with a bright smile, trying his best to easy Wonho's nerves. “You know…for a member of the basket ball team, you’re nowhere near as cruel as people make you out to be…” he said simply, changing the topic but the comment clearly sparked Wonho’s interest.

“People say we’re cruel?" Wonho cocked his head in thought. "Or did you just assume that because we’re tough and dumb?” he pouted a little but the conversation remains light.

“You’re right about the cruel part. The seniors like to assert their authority, even over us younger guys. We need to have a tough shell or we get walked all over by them. As if getting shit from your own team wasn't bad enough, we deal with the law student too.” he grumbled  
“Law students? Do you get in trouble with them often?” Hyungwon stomach dropped instantly, know that he was going to mention Minhyuk. His friend has a long standing history with any sports, arts or scholarships student. It was just unfortunate that most sports and art students were scholarship students.

“Yeah, some dick with a flashy car keeps messing with us.  Trashed our equipment, winding up the minors in our team... insults us for being 'poor'. Wonho said with a deep huff before trying to keep his cool. “I haven’t got anything against them, just we don’t even need to do anything to become targets sometimes…”

“I know who the pompous prick you’re talking about is.” Hyungwon chuckled a little.

Wonho  stopped in his tracks, eyebrows raised. “Oh no…don’t tell me its your brother or something” he whined in response.

But Hyungwon only shook his head. “Not exactly. We’ve been friends since I can remember…he…has a different way of letting out stress nowadays.” he said honestly. He knew Minhyuk couldn’t relax at home, his dad wouldn't let him catch a break. He only really had Hyungwon to vent to, he didn't feel close enough to Kihyun or Changkyun for that. So he always bottled it up and unfortunately this was his outlet.

“You call that letting out stress? I call it being a dick.” Wonho stated bluntly and shrugged. “Whatever… I heard the law exams start soon so we won't be seeing him as much.” He said as he began to climb the steps of the sports faculty. Hyungwon couldn't help but think that Wonho would be seeing much more of Minhyuk if he really wanted him to help with his studies but that was a topic for another time.

“Do you mind if I stop off at the bathroom quickly to change? If I appear in my kit again I’ll have to run 40 laps around the court like last time…” Wonho huffed a little and pouted as he looked over at Hyungwon.

“Sure” he smiled and wandered into the bathroom with Wonho. He put his book down and leaned against the sink for a second while the other went to change in a cubicle. Once he had changed Wonho let out a loud gasp that made Hyungwon jump. "What is it? Is there a spider?” he asked hurriedly, lifting his feet off the ground.  
“No no no…much worse…” he pointed to the coffee stain the book had smudged all over Hyungwon's shirt. “I hope that’s not an expensive shirt, because that coffee won’t come out anytime soon.” he said. It is, Hyungwon thought, tugging at the mess.

Wonho rummaged through his bag before pulling out a black hoodie and offering it to Hyungwon. “It may not be anything stylish or fancy but it’s clean." The boy gave a shy smile. Hyungwon thought maybe he was worried his clothes weren't expensive enough. He really wished people knew that money meant nothing to him.  
Hyungwon looked at the size and shook his head at first, knowing he would be drenched in material but the thought of smelling like old coffee all day was enough to sway him.  “Oookay but I don’t look good in hoodies…so don’t even dare laugh, got it?” he pointed a finger at Wonho and used his 'stern' voice, trying to sound tough but he couldn't hide his soft smile. He took the hoodie and hesitated for a moment. He recalled his mission and he got an idea. Instead of going into a stall, Hyungwon began unbuttoning his shirt in the middle of the bathroom.

Wonho pursed his lips. Was he trying not to laugh? "What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Changing, why? Does it bother you?

"...No."

As he pulled the hoodie over his head, Hyungwon caught site of the boy behind him in the mirror. He also caught his eyes flicker in the direction of his naked torso. So gay was DEFINITELY a possibility.

Once the hoodie was on, Hyungwon turned to face Wonho with arms limp at his sides. There was a noticeable size difference.

  
“Wonho…” he whined, tugging at the fabric  little.  “You’re way too muscular, my frame can't handle this. My bones are going to snap from the weight of all this material.” he laughed quietly through his complaint. He didn't really mind, the hoodie fit like an over sized boyfriend hoodie, and the thought maybe Hyungwon giddy.

“Don’t complain, you look cute.” Wonho chuckled and ruffled Hyungwons hair slightly before fixing his own hair in the mirror. What did this mean? He said the words so casually. Was he being a reassuring friend? Did he really find Hyungwon cute? Hyungwon couldn’t help but smile down at the floor. 

He shoved lightly at the other boys arm. "Shut up." he said, blushing.  
“Yeah,yeah,  no need to thank me. Now come on, we’re both late for class.” Wonho grabbed Hyungwon's arm and tugged him out of the bathroom.


	3. Minhyuk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SONG 3: DEAN- I'M NOT SORRY

After making his way out of the District Head’s office in a strop, Minhyuk found himself wandering aimlessly. He was searching for any way to avoid going to the main hall. Within half an hour he had walked around almost the entire circumference of his University. He had even discovered areas he didn’t even know existed. He found out that the biology majors liked to hand out in the botanic gardens... he had no idea there _was_ botanic gardens. Or biology majors for that matter. The more you know" he thought to himself. He stopped by the boys locker room at the pool in hopes of seeing the swim team, Jaebum specifically. Jaebum's dad also worked in business and he was equally as bored by it so the two of them often fooled around during social events. However it seemed the swim team had already begun practice so there was no chance of a distraction there. Minhyuk even found time to hang from banisters in the International business department. He wanted to test how long he could dangle his body before his arms got numb... not very long apparently.

"I should join the gym." he said aloud, dusting his hands off after letting go.

He really had no idea what he was going to do until the lunch bell rang, he had gotten kicked out of class way too early. He certainly wasn't going to arrive at the Arts Department early. 1. because he didn't want to and 2. because he wasn't a loser.

There were three places in the university that Minhyuk wouldn't ever be caught dead in: the stoners den, the cafeteria, and the Arts Department. Technically speaking Minhyuk didn't want to be seen dead with anyone from university but he really wouldn't make an exception for those three. However today, choking on second hand smoke or sitting with the uncivilized animals in the lunch hall sounded like a better option than volunteering with the arts majors.

He didn't care if they were artists, dancers or musicians, he disliked them all. One of his reasoning's was that he didn’t believe any of them to be deserving of their place in university. Wasn't university about academics and leaning? Why did he have to study himself into exhaustion or take notes until his hands bled but art students could stand for an hour in front of a canvas or hit a few keys on a keyboard and it was considered expressive? Maybe he would use that as his excuse next time he got sent to the Head..."but sir, I'm just being  _expressive._ "

He also couldn't understand why people got so obsessive over arts. Minhyuk himself could play piano and had done since he was young but  you didn't see him bragging about his talents everyday. Besides, the thought of touching the instrument now sent chills down his spine. 

They all acted like having artistic talent made them desirable or relevant... deep down they knew that his bank book would trump their shitty talents any day. Really... who wouldn't chose a successful partner with a more than stable income over a dumb bitch with no job and big dreams of 'making it one day'. Too make matters worse they were, more often than not, scholarship students. They hadn't had to work to get their place, they got it purely by being good at something and they took it for granted. Minhyuk had had to pass every exam with top scores and pay a very expensive tuition.

He really did despised them. All of them except one; his friend Kihyun. Although they were not as close as himself and Hyungwon, Minhyuk had a soft spot for Kihyun. The two of them were stuck in similar situations. Kihyun came from a very strict and traditional family, his parents has worked hard for their success and wanted the same for Kihyun. However they wanted it so badly that they inflicted their dreams on him.

By age nine, Kihyun had become one of the most talented pianists of his age group, coming second in The International Youth Piano Competition, he had performed pieces with the Korean Symphony Orchestra and he had been scouted by Julliard in New York. However, he was open about his preference towards singing as opposed to piano and so his parents did not trust him to study alone in America. They wanted him to create a name for himself and then take over the family business. He had once admitted they would beat his knuckles until they bled any time he made a mistake. Minhyuk could relate to having a parent who pressured you into their ways and would punish you if you done otherwise. 

Minhyuk let his thoughts wander as he walked around campus. He hadn’t really been looking for a place to go in particular, which was probably why he ended up right outside the art departments after trying to avoid it for so long. He checked his phone and realised it was almost lunch time. He had successfully wasted a ton of time. Thinking of his friend reminded him he was supposed to attend lunch plans. He grumbled at the thought of having to tell Kihyun he couldn't make it. He would need a decent excuse because there was no way he was admitting to this. He found his friends number and dialed it.

After a few moments of awkward pacing back and forth on the department steps, the boy finally decided to answer his phone. Minhyuk had made it clear that he did not like to be left waiting but Kihyun was obviously pre-occupied with his new girlfriend to care about such trivial things.

“Hey…” Kihyun said, the word was drawn out a little, his confusion obviously seeping through. Minhyuk did not call him often. “What’s up?"  
"Listen, Kihyun. I can’t make it to lunch.” Minhyuk stated bluntly and rubbed the back of his neck a little.  
“Why not?” Kihyun asked back quickly.  
“Because I don’t want to go.” Minhyuk couldn't help but grin at his own response, knowing it would hit a nerve with his friend. “  
"Huh?…you’re gonna dick out on us again?” Kihyun asked, obviously irritated.  
"I would never get my dick out for you." Minhyuk chuckled, continuing to be an annoyance.  
"I'm pretty sure last weekend's Minhyuk would disagree." his friend scoffed. Minhyuk shivered at the memory.  
"Dude, I was drunk."  
"Still got your dick out though."  
Kihyun had gotten one over him this time.  
“OK, listen... I had every intention of coming to this dumb lunch but I erm...I-” he lowered his voice as he spoke. “I have to help the art department." He didn't want to be heard saying this out loud.  
"You what?"  
"I have to help the art department." He said a little louder.  
"Minhyuk, I can't hear you."  
"I HAVE TO HELP THE ART DEPARTMENT OK."  
"Yeah, I heard you the first time...hahahahah." Audible laughter bounced from Minhyuk's phone, he could still hear it even when he removed the phone from his ear. He stood waiting until his 'friend' stopped, phone at arms length.  
"Is this how you’re getting punished now?! Mr Choi is a fucking genius.” Kihyun only laughed harder.  
Minhyuk quickly grew tired of listening to his friend and hung up on him mid laugh. Served him right.

As he hung up, the lunch bell sounded above him and he started. "Fucking bell." he whispered to himself and then began slowly making his way towards the entrance of the Art department. He didn't want to be the first in, he couldn't look _keen._  Absolutely not. But he definitely didn't want to be caught in a crowd of students... or witnesses, as he preferred to think of them. He could just imagine the awkward stares and hushed whispers. "Omg, Is that  _Lee Minhyuk?"_  He knew it was probably cool for them to see someone of his status but did they really have to be so lame about it? 

After the first few groups of people had entered the hall,  Minhyuk followed.  However he was halted to a stop, when someone cut into his path. A slightly shorter, white blonde male had ran out in front of him and stopped dead in his tracks. Minhyuk observed as the boy picking up something from the ground that a girl in front had dropped from her bag. Minhyuk had noticed the item fall, but if somebody was clumsy enough to lose their own belongings then it was probably the karma they deserved. Learn from you mistakes, right? His balance had been knocked slightly by the boy but he was able to steady himself. He tugged at his coat, rearranging himself and let out a small grumble of annoyance. The boy obviously noticed this because he rolled his eyes and shoved past Minhyuk after handing the girl her belonging. Minhyuk's gaze followed the boy until he was out of sight and then he continued on his way.

Once he had arrived at the main hall of the Art Department, he was surprised to note only a small gathering of students setting up. The were clearly a mixture of art, drama, music and dance students based on their assigned tasks. Some were hanging fairy lights from the ceiling, some were painting banners, some were rehearsing a performance and some appeared to be creating a playlist. The room somehow looked duller than Minhyuk remembered it. You'd think with all the effort of these students it would look better. Although, he wasn't particularly surprised because every year they Star and Moon awards looked cheap. He couldn’t believe that such a prestigious university couldn’t get legitimate designers to assist with events.

He stood to the side resting back against a wall, and observed everyone at work. Of course, just by being there, he had the hardest job of all. People really had no idea how uncomfortable it was, having to deal with everyone walking past and staring at him like he was doing something wrong. People really had no respect. Didn't their parents teach them it was rude to stare?

Another observations was that art department seemed to have an unspoken dress code, which he found quite ironic since the entire department was about expressing themselves. Almost every girl was dressed in a pastel blue shirt with a little white bow under the collar and a grey skirts. Whereas the boys wore a similar colored shirt with dark suit trousers. It was too bland for his liking. Everyone knew if you wanted to pull off monotone you should opt for a black and white combo. Due to his outfit, Minhyuk stood out like a soar thumb among the other students but what was new there.

As he continued to observe his surroundings, one person in particular caught his attention. It was the same blonde haired boy from before. He also stood out from the others as he was dressed in a bright red jumper. He was like both fire and ice all at once, his soft white hair creating a stark contrast to the red.  He was stood at the DJ booth, organizing some wires. Minhyuk found his gaze flicker to the boy often, trying to see what he was doing. He was definitely the most interesting person in the room. Minhyuk became certain of this when the boy began to move away from the booth.  Even Minhyuk could see the loose wires swinging between the DJ booth and the table next to it from across the hall. Somehow, this boy did not and tripped over them in slap stick comedy style. Minhyuk just watched as the boy sent an arm full of records and adapters flying out onto the main floor as he landed with a thud. Minhyuk brought a hand to his mouth and let out a small chuckle from behind it. He had to stop himself from laughing at this boys stupidity so let out a brisk cough instead. ‘What the fuck is he doing?’ he asked himself and stepped to the side a little to watch the boy scurry around, grabbing at his things. Minhyuk hoped he would destroy something else.

As he stepped to the side, his view was blocked by a face that was suddenly too close. "Aah." Minhyuk said sharply and took a quick step back, unable to hide the fact she had given him a fright. The girl obviously had no sense of personal space because she stepped closer to him again. On inspection of her face, she was pretty with large blue eyes. Minhyuk knew that she was wearing contacts.. well, because she was asian. She had almost porcelain doll like features which were completely skewed by the makeup layered heavily onto her face. She had a huge smile, that was starting to freak Minhyuk out. He frowned down at her, then diverted his gaze to the rather small and uncomfortable gap between their torsos. He took a further step back, thankfully this time she did not follow.

“Hi!” the girl chirped and waved excitedly. Too excitedly for Minhyuk. “You’re the Law student that’ll be helping us out right?! I’m Dahyun.” She reached her hand out and grabbed hold of Minhyuk's, shaking it violently. His entire arm was shaking from the girls tough and almost cripplingly grip on his hand. She was strong for someone so tiny. Minhyuk was almost surprised his shoulder hadn't popped from its socket. His frown, however, remained securely in place and he ensured to maintain a straight face in order to express that he was not amused. 

He had to use his free hand to peel the girls grip from his other and tugged it away quickly. He smiled briefly through tight lips but he couldn't help but wish he had brought sanitizer. 

“Min.-“ he cleared his throat slightly. “Minhyuk” he said, his voice audibly lacking enthusiasm.

“Law Boy I need you to go over..." She turned to examine the students at work before deciding, "There! With him.” She ordered and pointed over to the boy with the red jumper. 

'Of course', Minhyuk thought to himself, 'as if i haven't been punished enough.'

The boy was now pulling a box of what looked like string lights across the hall. Minhyuk had already witnessed what that boy was capable of when trusted with a few wires. He cringed at the thought of being stuck around him long enough for another accident to occur.

“Him? Are you sure you don’t mean …her?” Minhyuk asked with raised eyebrows, pointing to a tall, thin brunette a little further back.

Dahyun looked back at Minhyuk with an unimpressed expression on her face. He was proud, it almost perfectly mirrored his own.

“Go help him put up the lights…you look tall enough for it.” She patted his arm before turning and walking away. Only now did Minhyuk notice the little clip board under her arm. Bossy people like her were always nosing into other peoples business, he'd be sure to stay clear of her. Minhyuk rubbed at his arm slightly, her 'pat' didn't need to be so rough.

He hesitated in approaching the boy. He really didn’t want to get involved at all but when he spotted Dahyun staring at him from the other end of the hall, he rolled his eyes in defeat and made his way across to the boy.

“I've been sent over to help because it doesn't appears you're not capable of this yourself.” Minhyuk stated when he stopped next to the boy dragging the box. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at him.

The boy looked up to meet Minhyuk's gaze and revealed a quick toothy grin that made his eyes crinkle into two tiny slits. Could he even see? Two very large dimples appeared on his cheeks. Great, Minhyuk was babysitting. "Definitely not capable.. thanks for the help man." the boy said as he kicked the box closer to two sets of ladders against the far wall.

“The names Jooheon…You’re…?” he paused to catch Minhyuks response but none came. Minhyuk wasn't listening, he was busy internally sulking over the fact he had just met two people in the space of ten minutes that didn’t know his name. Did they live under a rock? Everyone knew his name.Their dirty lips would tarnish it anyway, he tried to convince himself.

“Alright...not a talker, got it.” Jooheon said as he pulled one end of the lights out from the box. Without warning, he threw them to Minhyuk who caught them just inches before the plastic casing of the stars hit his face.

“Hey! Watch it.” He snapped sharply. That boy almost broke his face. 

“Sorry. I didn't realize you weren't paying attention.” Jooheon smiled then and Minhyuk could almost sense the sarcasm behind it. This boy definitely done it on purpose knowing full well he wasn't paying attention. He wouldn't let him catch him by surprise again.

Minhyuk shook his coat from his shoulders, took the other end of the lights and started to climb the ladder. Jooheon soon followed suit and climbed his own set.

“Just wrap them around your end of the pole.” Jooheon shouted over and began wrapping his lights. Minhyuk rolled up his sleeves, eager to get the task done with quickly. He began to wrap the lights as ordered, muttering under his breath about 'how dare someone order me.' He really couldn't believe he was doing what a lower class citizen was telling him. He continued to work and grumble, imagining how embarrassed his father be if he saw him right now.  Minhyuk squinted over at the other boy, who was already half way done. The rest of the pole was too far along for the males shorter arms to reach.

"You should go down and move your your ladder along." Minhyuk voiced and then chastised himself for it. Why was he helping him?

"I can reach." Jooheon replied.

Minhyuk knew he couldn’t reach but it was clear the boy was determined so Minhyuk just watched as he stretched out more and more. As if it weren't obvious, it quickly became apparent this was a bad decision when the boy lost his footing. MInhyuk saw fear cover the boys face as his ladder began to tilt and topple to the side. What Minhyuk hadn't expected was for it to topple right in his direction. 

Minhyuk barely had time to respond before-

“Look out!” Jooheon shouted. 

The two ladders collided with force, Minhyuk's arm getting caught between them. 

Both of boys fell from their ladders at the same time but, inconveniently for Minhyuk, Jooheon had fallen in his direction and so his landing was cushioned by Minhyuk's body. Minhyuk, who had hit the ground back first, had the wind knocked out of him twice. Once by the floor and a second by Jooheon's body landing directly on top of him. As if this wasn't bad enough, Jooheon's thick skull bounced off of Minhyuk's, bashing his head into the floor. He quickly became dizzy from the impact and inability to breathe. How heavy was this boy? Minhyuk really couldn't catch a breath. He let out a struggled gasp that was relieved by Jooheon propping himself up. A palm on either side of Minhyuk's head.

“Are you alright?!” He asked with concern, unaware that his body was still putting pressure on Minhyuk's chest.

"Get off me." Minhyuk slapped his hand at Jooheon a little, signalling him to move. The clumsy male realized that he was still crushing him and hurriedly moved off to the side. The second Jooheon moved Minhyuk grabbed a full breath and sat up quickly.  He was preparing to scold the boy for being so stupid but as he opened his mouth, his train of thought was cut short. Jooheon had grabbed his arm and was inspecting a large, oozing wound.

“Shit! You’re not okay…we should get you to the nurse.” he stated as he scrambled to his feet, pulling Minhyuk with him. Minhyuk didn't even get the chance to complain.


	4. Jooheon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SONG 4: NCT 127- THE 7TH SENSE

Jooheon grabbed at the boys uninjured hand and pulled him to his feet. He stopped to take a quick glance at his face, to check if he was okay and found that he wasn't. The boy was trying very hard to act annoyed by Jooheon but it was evident that he felt faint. His complexion had paled and he had small droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. He obviously wasn't going to ask for help so Jooheon took it upon himself... it was after all, his fault that this boy was injured. 

He felt awful, he didn't even know this boys name and he had already pushed him off a set of ladders. Jooheon internally chastised himself, "stop being so reckless." he thought. 

"Come on, let's go." he said to the boy and began tugging his arm. However, the boy protested.  
"Get off me, I'm fine." he pulled his hand away from Jooheon. "Stop embarrassing me."

Jooheon watched as the boy tried to step away from him, stumbling over himself and quickly having to stop. He dug the palms of his hands into his eyes, clearly frustrated by the fogginess in his head.  
He swayed to one side and Jooheon rushed to catch him. He wrapped his arm around the boys waist and pulled him close, lifting the uninjured arm over his own shoulders. Why was this boy being so uncooperative??

"I think it'll be more embarrassing if you fall on your face dude." Jooheon whispered, receiving a brief nod of agreement in return.  
Upon looking around the hall, Jooheon noticed that everyone was staring and them and gulped. He hated being the center of attention but it seemed to be happening to him a lot recently. He looked for Dahyun in the crowd, his eyes pleading with hers when they finally met. He knew she would sort this.

Dahyun looked back at Jooheon and gave a assertive but reassuring nod, before turning back to the rest of the hall. She hit her clip board off of the chair in front of her with force, quickly diverting everyone's attention to her. She really knew how to crack the whip. “I think you’ll find you all aren’t here to gawk at others, if you want to do that I can write you off your lunch time programs and you can stare at each other from the district heads office!” she snapped, a tough and almost dictator like voice booming from the small girls lungs. The boy in Jooheon's arms jumped slightly at her voice but he wasn't surprised. If Jooheon was good at anything besides music, it was reading people. Some people were like open books, some were closed. This boy had closed his pages, padlocked them shut and thrown away the key. He didn't want to be read and Jooheon wasn't the type to pry. One thing Jooheon was certain of though, was that this tough exterior was just that... an exterior.

Jooheon started to walk out of the room, in the direction of the nurses office, with the boy held tightly against his side. He cast an apologetic smile in Dahyun's direction on his way out, feeling worse than he already had been.  
“Hey, you doing ok?” he asked the boy quietly. He really felt horrible for causing such a huge accident. He hadn’t quite been himself for the past few days: he wasn’t thinking straight and he had been causing accidents everywhere he went. He had been ok with bad stuff happening to him, but now he’d just hurt somebody else because of his stupidity and it was bothering him.  
"Me? I'm great." the boy replied. "Fucking fantastic."

As they continued on their way to the nurses room, the boy kept casting glances at Jooheon with a frown on his face. Jooheon really wanted to know what he was thinking... probably cursing him for causing all of this mess but he didn't dare show that the stares bothered him. He would give this boy zero chances to get one over on him. He was slouched against Jooheon's side, one of his fists was wrapped in the back of Jooheon's sweater and Jooheon could feel the rest of the fabric clinging to his abdomen, making him self conscious.

As they were approaching the nurses room, the boy finally spoke up.  
“Why are you even helping me?” he asked bluntly as they entered the empty room. The boy cocked an eyebrow at him.

Jooheon shrugged and helped sit him on one of the chairs. He quickly arranged the fabric of his sweater and noticed the boy tilt his head as he watched. Jooheon couldn't help but feel that the both of them were equally as suspicious of the other. He spoke as he wandered around the room, collecting all the items he would need to dress this boys arm.  
"I caused this, therefore I should fix it." Jooheon stated as a matter of fact, owning up to his mistake. "I should have been more careful."  
Jooheon had been here fact to often and he hated how effortless he found everything he needed.

"Yeah…you did cause this.” the boy continued to follow Jooheon with an emotionless gaze. Jooheon had to admit it unsettled him. "I hit my head, what if i have a concussion? Where’s the nurse?” he asked. It was evident that he did not want Jooheon's help and would instead prefer to criticize him.

Ignoring this, Jooheon pulled up a chair in front of the nameless wonder and started covering a small cotton swab in rubbing alcohol. He was not giving this boy his full attention.  
"The nurse is never here at lunch. All I know is if you have a concussion, you shouldn't fall asleep. You might fall into a coma or die or whatever and I'd really like to avoid a manslaughter charge." Jooheon gave a small but obviously fake smile before he pressed the cotton swab to the other's arm.

The boy winced and tried to pull his arm away quickly but Jooheon tightened his grip on his wrist, pulling his arm back.  
"Oh, this might hurt a little." he said, knowing full well this advice was too late. "Stay still."

He slowly cleaned the cut on the arm and saw how bad it actually was. He frowned but kept quiet.  
The boy watched as he worked. Jooheon glanced up to him often, still making sure he was okay, and would catch him bite his lip with the pain.  
They quickly fell into an awkward silence. Neither of them were going to give anything away, it seemed. The silence felt like it went on forever. 

"So…what's between you and the little bossy girl?” the boy suddenly questioned.

Jooheon stopped dead in his tracks at the mention of her and looked up at the boy, who wore a noticeable smirk on his lips.  
So he was observant too. Jooheon would ensure to remember that.  
“I don’t know what you're talking about." he feigned ignorance and smiled before he started to cover the arm in a medical patch.

They fell into silence again. Jooheon began wrapping the arm in a bandage, careful not to pull it to tight.  
"Does this feel okay?"  
"mm"  
"Good."  
Those same empty eyes continued to follow Jooheon, he was starting to feel like he was under interrogation. His skin was crawling with unease. It was as if he could feel this boy penetrate every inch of his body , sending shivers down his spine. But at least the gaze was better than the questions.

Once the arm was dressed, Jooheon grabbed the bruise ointment. “Was it just your head I hurt?” he asked, making direct eye contact with the boy for the first time.  
He couldn't stop himself from thinking the boy would be handsome if he looked less aggressive. Maybe if he smiled more? His features were soft, surprisingly. Soft rounded cheeks, soft button nose, soft full lips. His eyes, a hazel shade of brown, were hidden under his frown and a mop of black hair that fell into them. Jooheon became curious then, how such a soft boy could hold such dark eyes. 'Those eyes must hold a thousand secrets.' he thought to himself, before shaking out of his daze. 

He stood up and pushed the boys fringe out of his eyes, noticing a small red patch above his eyebrow, where their heads must have collided.  
The boy raised his arm defensively and caught Jooheon's wrist.  
“What are you doing?” he snapped, a flash of something different in his gaze.  
"Making sure you don't get a bruise obviously."  
Jooheon rolled his eyes at the boy but held his gaze. He slowly removed the boys hold on his wrist and, slower again, continued to reach for his forehead.  
Slow seemed to work. He brushed the boys hair aside and gently applied the ointment, stopping for a second when he noticed how close he was to the male. The boy looked back at him and blinked. His blink was uneven, one eye closing slower than the other.

"Cute." 

FUCK. Did he just say that out loud?

"What?"  
"What?"  
"You said cute?"  
"No i didn't."

“Jooheon….” the boy said his name for the first time. Oh no. For some reason this unsettled Jooheon even more than the stares. “Seriously…why are you helping me?"   
Joohoen released a sigh of relief, something about this questions seemed more sincere? The sharp tone was gone and was replaced with genuine curiosity.  
"Why wouldn’t I help you? You’re hurt... ” Jooheon replied back, also with a genuine answer.  
Minhyuk fell quiet and shook his head slightly. “Not something I'm used to."  
Jooheon was thrown by this. This boy was obviously rude and arrogant, but something about this stuck. Had he really never had someone take care of him? Maybe there really was a reason for that hard exterior.  
"Well..." Jooheon hesitated. "You’ll remember this day... when a complete stranger, who didn't even know your name, helped.”  
He gave a soft smile and then turned to put away the items he had taken out. He didn't want to focus too much attention on what the boy had just said, in case he became embarrassed. 

When Jooheon returned from sorting the last of the supplies, he felt a grab at his wrist.  
"Why didn’t you take care of yourself first?” the boy asked, nodding down to Jooheon's leg. Jooheon smiled and pulled his wrist away.  
"It's just a dull ache, probably a muscle or something. I'll rest it later."  
He reassured the boy even though he could feel the pain shooting up his entire leg. Someone else was more important right now.

“Alright…” the boy said with a slight glare and leaned back slightly to fix the sleeves, wincing as he did. "Ugh, seriously. How much do you weigh? I think you broke my ribs."  
"Aaaand, we're back." Jooheon chuckled. “I patched you up…isn’t that enough?” he asked, looking down at the boy who widened his eyes at him in response. Obviously this was a dumb question.  
"Okay your highness, what else do you wish for?" Jooheon jokingly bowed.  
The boy raised a brow at him. "Tell me about you're girlfriend."  
This boy really was nosy. Jooheon should have known he wouldn't drop the subject. The mention of her being called his girlfriend felt awkward.  
He furrowed his brow and sighed.  
"She's just a friend."  
"Aaah, " the boy sounded as if he had an epiphany, “She broke up with you...recently.”  
"mm... something like that." Jooheon admitted.  
"Think of yourself lucky dude, she's super strong. Could have snapped you in half." the boy turned to him and ?smiled. Jooheon wasn't sure, it happened fast. Was he trying to make him feel better or something?

Jooheon couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the boys efforts, a smile breaking onto his lips once again.  
"Is that a smile?" The boy looked at him quizzically. "That's how it should be. Don't let anyone turn you into a mess, especially not someone who isn't turning into a mess over you. And i hate to break it to you, but you're a mess."  
Jooheon sat back on his chair and nudged the boys arm.  
“Why can’t you go back to glaring at me like you were earlier? Stop giving me break up advice, it’s weird.” 

The boy choked suddenly, as if he hadn't realized he had been being nice.  
"Uh, alright, okay.” he turned to Jooheon and pointed in his face. “If you come near me whilst being clumsy like that ever again I’ll make sure to accidentally throw a ladder at your head. Are we clear?” he asked, trying really hard to be mean again.  
"Understood." Jooheon laughed.

"You should get somebody to pick you up. I'll leave a note with the nurse and stop by the Head's office to tell him you got hurt. Got home and rest."  
Jooheon stood and extended a hand for the boy to take, offering to help him up from his chair. But of course, the boy refused and heaved himself up. Jooheon huffed and grabbed his hand anyway, helping ease him to his feet. He received the deepest frown he had so far.  
"I’m just helping you up, it won't kill you.” he said and let go of his hand.

"It might, we already know you're dangerous." The boy scoffed, taking out his phone to call someone.

"Anyways, stay here until someone comes to get you. I've got class so I gotta head." Jooheon got up and headed for the door.

"Jooheon..." he heard from behind him just as he was leaving. He turned to look at the boy. Really? What else could he want?

"Minhyuk." he said, "My name is Minhyuk."


	5. Kihyun

Kihyun sighed at the sound of the dial tone that confirmed he had just been hung up on. It was impossible to get used to how abrupt Minhyuk could be but Kihyun gained a little satisfaction in knowing he had managed to press a few of Minhyuk's buttons for a change. At least Minhyuk had the decency to call ahead. Hyungwon had just not turned up when they were supposed to meet. He had wasted 20 minutes waiting on that big noodle which meant he was now late to meet Changkyun. Not that Chagkyun would mind.

Changkyun was the most laid back person Kihyun knew. Kihyun often thought of the saying 'opposites attract' and how his and Changkyun's relationship was proof of that. The two were best friends but they were polar opposites. Drawn together like magnets, they had been stuck together for 11 years. He would never admit it but Kihyun admired his best friend. Changkyun was a free spirit, his heart lead the way and his body followed. He didn't waste time thinking but instead enjoyed doing whatever he wanted to. He didn't care for the consequences or what others would think. His eyes would sometimes glaze over; people often assumed he was stupid and not able to focus for long periods of time, but Kihyun knew his friend's mind was elsewhere, dreaming of bigger and better things... his next adventure. 

An adventure was the only way to describe Changkyun's life and Kihyun envied it.  He had recently dyed his hair pink as a means of seeming more care free but he couldn't help but think that his sharp features would always leave him looking stern. Changkyun, however, always looked soft. Soft, fluffy black hair, soft rounded cheeks and lips, soft looking sweater paws in his oversized hoodies. He wore rounded glasses that just always made him look... well, soft. Kihyun could only dream of being soft and carefree. 

He drummed his fingers on the dash board for a second before ducking down slightly to look out of the passenger seat window of his car. He could see Changkyun wandering along with his phone up in front of his face as he fixed his hair. It was apparent that he was not paying attention to his surroundings and so this gave Kihyun an idea. He watched slowly as Changkyun continued walking along, consumed in his own reflection... his friend was approaching the car and still hadn't noticed him there. 

Kihyun waited for the exact moment Changkyun was passing the front of the car and slammed the horn as loud as he could.  He watched his friends entire body quiver from the fright of his life and burst into laughter at the comical scene in front of him. Changkyun's arms had shot into the air causing him to lose grip on his phone and God forbid he drop his precious phone so a second wave of fear crossed his face. He tried his hardest to reach out and grab it but the phone was just a little too far away. Kihyun could see the moment Changkyun's body become top heavy and a third wave of fear struct him as he realized he was going to fall. His friends legs then began desperately trying to correct his posture however it was too late, and his body toppled over. Kihyun couldn't see the rest, for the hood of the car, but he certainly heard the slap of flesh meeting concrete. Kihyun was laughing so hard his face was turning pink.

He waited a few seconds but Changkyun did not surface. He leaned over and opened the passenger door and wheezed out, “G-get up..from t-t-the ground..ha HA HA HA." He knew his friend would be mortified.

Changkyun slowly stood, patted himself off, folded his arms and glared at Kihyun through the windshield. He made a cut throat motion but this only made Kihyun laugh more. Changkyun wished he was that tough. His friend got into the car, fixing his jacket and then his hair. 

“You know that wasn’t funny in the slightest.” he said nonchalantly.

"Looked pretty funny from where I was sitting."

Changkyun pulled down Kihyun's sun visor to expose the mirror on its inside. "Look here and then you'll see what's funny." he snickered.

"Dude, I know you think I'm pretty." 

"What? Pr-pretty? what?" Changkyun stuttered and then changed the subject. "Where are the others?" he asked as he turned to face the back seat.

Kihyun shrugged and began pulling out of his space.

"What did you do this time, Kihyun?"

Choosing to ignore his friends sarcastic comment, Kihyun responded honestly. “I don’t know where Hyungwon is..he was supposed to meet us outside of his department but he wasn’t there. …and Minhyuk cancelled because he’s got to help out at the art department." 

“The art department?!” Changkyun's jaw almost hit the floor and he let out a snort. “He wont survive a second in there... we need to prepare the bomb shelter because Minhyuk is about to go off." 

“Yeah well…it’s his own fault and it’s how own loss today. I’m covering the costs for lunch.” Kihyun said.

Changkyun gave a small smile. From the corner of his eye, Kihyun was able to note that smile dropping and a frown replacing it. Changkyun lifted his hand and began chewing on his nails, a tell tale sign that he was nervous or anxious. That was something rare in itself and so Kihyun become concerned. He couldn't help but wonder what was on his friend's mind. He truely hoped it wasn't something to do with him. If Kihyun was honest, he knew things between him and Changkyun were slightly different since he started dating again. Usually the two were very close. Some would say overly affection. Minhyuk, in particular, liked to pass little comments implying Changkyun had feelings for Kihyun but Changkyun always confirmed they were just bros. It was just that his new girlfriend wasn't comfortable with the level of affection between the two and so he tried to draw back a little on that.

Changkyun sat quietly for a while before turning to Kihyun.  “So…this new girlfriend of yours…Will I know her?” 

Changkyun was an intense gossiper around the university and nobody could ever get him to shut up. Maybe it was due to his carefree, relaxed personality, Kihun didn't know, but everyone trusted his friend with their stories. He always knew everybody and he was always somewhere spilling or gaining information. To him, it didn't  matter how little or intense the details were... he just had to know before anyone else.

“Erm…No…no you won’t know her…", Kihyun thought to himself for a second then nodded slightly. “Actually...you might know her…Park Soo-Young.” He said each word hesitantly and kept his gaze focused intently on the road ahead. They were close to the café which was a relief because Kihyun couldn't escape the tension in the car quick enoough. His peripherals were watching Changkyun process this information and his brain was evidently ready to burst.

“JOY?!” Changkyun finally shouted back in pure shock. “You’re dating the preps now?! Isn’t she like…too innocent for you? How do you even know her? How could  _you_ meeting someone like  _Joy._? What even possessed you? “Who are you and what have you done with my friend?!”

Changkyun fired question after question at Kihyun, very obviously in state of shock. His brain was trying it's hardest to keep up with the information it was receiving. The pulled up in a bay outside the cafe. Kihyun knew his friend would be confused at his choice this time. Kihyun liked to go against his parents at any given moment and dating girls who were...less that sophisticated... was one way of doing so. Kihyun had become a notorious 'play boy' around campus but it was all just for show. Well, most of it was. 

“I’m not a teenager anymore. I've got to, you know, settle down at some point.” Kihyun replied scratching at the side of his neck as a mean of avoiding Changkyun's gaze. The reality was that his parents had grown tired of his rebellious antics and given him two options. Settle down with a  _nice_ girl or be placed into an arranged marriage with a woman they considered 'appropriate'.  He wasn’t brave enough to admit this to Changkyun any of this though. He was too embarrassed.

“That’s... not like you.” Changkyun said skeptically. His brow furrowed as he stared down his friend. When Kihyun didn't respond, instead unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. He breathed a sigh of relief into the fresh air. Changkyun followed suit but dropped the subject, deep in thought again.

Locking the car behind them, the two headed into the cafe. The two walked closely, side by side, as they always did but today Kihyun felt Changkyun's fingers grazing his own with each swing of their arm. A subtle reassurance? Maybe his friend really knew him better than he thought. Kihyun interlocked their pinky fingers and squeezed slightly. 

"You know me better than anyone, you know this is something i have to do." he spoke with a finality. 

"Mmm." His friend responded with a sympathetic smile and squeezed back.

Despite this relationship being more responsibility than enjoyment, Kihyun had actually grown to like Joy somewhat. He at least considered her a friend.

"So anyways, since she's  _Joy_ , she's obviously not putting out so is it just ste-“ Changkyun had tried to comically change the subject but Kihyun had to quickly elbow his friend in the ribs. He had spotted Joy at a table close by. "Say another word like that and I’ll elbow a little lower next time…understand?” he stated.

"Do that and I might enjoy it." he heard Changkyun grumble as they approached the table.

After Kihyun had introduced them, Changkyun wandered off to order drinks and that was the start of his disinterest. Kihyun was finding it a challenge to focus on his friend with Joy around. She sat too close and kept making jokes that only the two would understand. Kihyun disliked this a lot but what could he do? He couldn't tell Joy to back off. All he _could_ do, was hope Changkyun would understand. Kihyun wasn't sure why but it really felt wrong being with them both at the same time? Like he was having an affair and rubbing it in their face... except he felt like he was cheating on Changkyun. He couldn't shake the feeling.

Finally, Joy decided to include Changkyun by asking how long he had known Kihyun.

“Oh…I’ve known him for forever. I know him better than anyone. He’s such an…ideal man for you.” He grimaced a little, the sarcasm was evident. And that was the end of that conversation because Changkyun took out his phone and began scrolling through it. Kihyun could tell his friend was unhappy here because one thing Changkyun never was, was rude.

“Listen…Kihyun.” Changkyun butted into a conversation a short while later, standing from his seat. “I have stuff to do so I'll call you later." 

He gave a tight smile and started heading for the door before either Kihyun or Joy could respond.

Kihyun couldn't just sit and let Changkyun leave this way, knowing too well something was wrong. 

"Joy, I'm so sorry. I'll be right back." Kihyun was already out of his seat.

He caught up to his friend quickly and grabbed his shirt.

"Kyunie...What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, I’ve got stuff to do.” he replied without turning around. Kihyun knew he was being lied to so he grabbed Changkyun's shoulder and spun him around. He placed his palms on either side of the boys face, ensuring he had to look at him. It hurt Kihyun how much hurt he could see on his friends face.

"You know you can talk to me right? What's wrong?” he pressed, desperate for a way to help. His friend averted his gaze and shook his head.

"It's not because of me is it? Or Joy?"

For some reason this triggered a response, and therefore Kihyun's curiosity. “I really don’t know why you think I'd be bothered by either of you." Changkyun snapped. Kihyun was taken aback by this and it took him a second to compose himself. So it was his fault. He had argused with Changkyun before but he has never caused this look to appear on his face. 

He was about to speak up when his phone rang. Changkyun gave an audible sigh and began to turn away. Kihyun grabbed at him again. “Hold on alright? I’ll drive you back to the dorms.” he said but Changkyun shook his head. “Forget it." Was all he said before turning and walking away. 

Rubbing at his neck, Kihyun answered the phone.

“Minhyuk? Why are you calling me?” He enquired as he walked back to the café entrance. He listened to what had happened to him and grumbled “Eugh, fine. I guess so. Meet me at the entrance to their building, ok? I'll be fifteen."

Kihyun quickly returned and apologized to Joy, explaining what had happened to Minhyuk. She was very understanding and even pecked his lips lightly before he left. The girl was one set of fluffy, white wings away from being an angel. Far too soft and sweet for Kihyun. 

On the drive back to university, Kihyun couldn't get Changkyun out of his head. He was truly worried. For some reason this felt different than their usual fall outs. He felt more invested in this, like this was much more significant. And then he began to worry about something else. Why did he feel this way about his  _friend._

 


End file.
